Murray Street 153

**Fast Facts**
Place type:	Building
Address:	153 Murray Street
Town or Locality:	Gawler

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On this site, Walter Duffield's fodder store was established in 1880's, in the 1886 Plan of Gawler it is described as 'Milling Company Grain & Flour Stores'. By 1906 it was occupied by Theodore Ey, Accountant and Commission Agent.

Other businesses have included Geue's Garage, Steinke's Garage, Aero Motor Garage (incl Oct 1928-1950), Exhaust City, 'Midas Exhausts, Brakes & Shocks' (incl 1989), vacant (Nov 1999), 'Glass at a Glance' Antiques & Leadlighting Store (incl 2001-2004) & Office National (incl 2010-2014).

On 19th October 1928, the MGM Trackless Train stopped outside Aero Motors, to enable Gawler locals to take a look.

In 2025 site of BFT - Body Fit Training Gym.

Click here to see photos of 153 Murray Street.

Extract from "Town of Gawler Heritage Review" - 153 Murray Street^[1]

DESCRIPTION:

This parapeted shopfront is located on a corner allotment and was constructed in c.1908 as a garage. The façade is constructed of overpainted sandstone, with overpainted brick quoins and dressings. The parapet walls include a gable detail to the corner elevation and overpainted shaped brick cornice mould. The steep, Dutch gable roof is of corrugated metal with skillion addition to rear. The original timber-framed shopfront addressing the corner has been overpainted, and non-original aluminium shopfront and door are evident on the Murray Street facade. Large openings to the Lyndoch Road façade have been infilled.

STATEMENT OF HERITAGE VALUE:

Constructed around 1920, the former motor garage at 153 Murray Street, Gawler is associated with the secondary phase of development of Gawler’s original agriculture-based services and facilities with modern buildings to provide new service-based premises to address the shift in the economy. The building demonstrates an ongoing use of the site for over 160 years, possibly longer, for commercial function. The former garage building is a good and substantially intact example of a 1920s motor garage which is constructed of local stone and brick.

BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:

The Gawler township was planned by Light, Finnis & Co and laid out by William Jacob in 1839; the Deposited Plan No. 138 of 1863 confirms this plan. The original allocation of Allotment 194 on the north eastern corner of the ‘Horrocks Place’ (now Lyndoch Road) intersection was to Stephen King. Murray Street was established as per Light’s plan and was set out as a continuation of the main road from Adelaide, across the South Para River, Murray Street became the main commercial centre and focus of Gawler township. The road to Lyndoch served as a major arterial into the township, placing the allotment in a prominent position. At some early stage the allotment passed to ‘Gilbert’.

In 1859, Lot 194 was owned by John Reid, the original Gawler Special Survey proprietor and contained a ‘4 roomed house’ occupied by George Nott. By 1860 two rateable 4-roomed cottages were located on the site owned by John ‘Reed’ [sic], Melbourne and let to William Lewis and William Henry Gome. In 1868, the first Exchange Hotel licence was granted for a single-storey building to the north of the subject site, at this time owned by Theodor Kneese. That year four rateable buildings including a ‘Wheat Store’, a ‘New Building unfinished’, a ‘Residence’ and second ‘Wheat Store’ were included on the site; the latter is the site of the subject building and was owned by ‘Mahoney’s Trustees’.

The large corrugated galvanised iron-clad store was let by W Duffield & Co, and used as a wheat store from as early as 1868. As indicated in historic rate books, the shed was later occupied by the ‘Milling Company’ as grain and flour stores. Historic images show that the shed structure remained until at least 1906, when it was occupied by Theodore Ey, accountant and commission agent.

Between 1908 and the early 1920s he shed was demolished, and the current building originally designed as a motor garage, known as ‘Geue’s Garage’ was built. By c.1916, the garage business was operating as ‘Steinke’s Garage’ run by Louis Bernard Steinke, a cycle manufacturer. Constructed as a garage and workshop, it has since been occupied by several businesses and operated as a garage, workshop and store.

Acknowledgments

This report has been prepared by the following people:

• Nancy Cromar (Flightpath Architects)

• Deborah Morgan (Flightpath Architects)

• Kate Paterson (Flightpath Architects)

• Douglas Alexander (Flightpath Architects)

The study team would like to acknowledge the assistance of the following people:

• David Petruzzella (Strategic Planner; Town of Gawler)

• Jacinta Weiss (Cultural Heritage Centre Coordinator; Town of Gawler)

• Jane Strange (Senior Development and Strategic Policy Officer; Town of Gawler)

Gawler History Team Inc. thanks: Flightpath Architects, Ryan Viney and the Town of Gawler for allowing us access to this important document of Gawler History.

www.flightpatharchitects.com.au

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